VietNamNet Bridge – Coach Truong Quoc Bao of the national tennis team has been accused of bullying his trainee.
HCM City’s tennis player, Le Quoc Khanh, who won the championship of men’s double category at the National Tennis Championship 2011, has raised his voice for being rejected from the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) 2011.

The list of Vietnam’s tennis team to SEA Games 2011 includes eight players: Do Minh Quan, Ngo Quang Huy, Nguyen Hoang Thien, Ho Huynh Dan Mach (men) and Huynh Phuong Dai Trang, Phan Thi Thanh Binh, Tran Lam Anh and Tran Thi Tam Hao (women).

The list does not have the names of Le Quoc Khanh and Huynh Mai Huynh, who won the men’s and women’s double categories at the National Tennis Championship 2011, who were members of the national team for many years.

“I won medals at the last five SEA Games but I’m not selected for SEA Games 2011. It is ridiculous and I’m surprised about it!” Khanh said.

Previously, Doan Quoc Cuong, chief of the Tennis Division of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, stated at a recent press conference that champions of the National Tennis Championship will represent Vietnam at the SEA Games.

About the list, Cuong explained that the Vietnam Tennis Federation needs both young and senior players at the upcoming SEA Games. “We chose Hoang Thien and Dan Mach as young players. Of the three senior players – Minh Quan, Quang Huy, Quoc Khanh, all from HCM City, Mr. Tam [Nguyen Minh Tam, Chairman of HCM City Tennis Federation] decided to reject Quoc Khanh,” Cuong said.

However, Tam rejected Cuong’s explanation, saying that he does not have the right to choose players for the national team.

Player Quoc Khanh said that four members of the Vietnam Tennis Federation’s expertise board selected tennis players for the SEA Games 2011, and Cuong removed him and Mai Huynh from the list.

Khanh accused Cuong of bullying him. According to this player, after the David Cup in June 2011, leaders of the national tennis team asked athletes to share their bonus to them but athletes did not agree. “It is unfair that officials wanted to share bonus with athletes. I called some officials to tell them my opinion,” Khanh said.

At the David Cup 2011 in Sri Lanka, a conflict occurred within the national tennis team when Cuong suddenly announced that coach Truong Quoc Bao was to replace Minh Quan as the team’s leader. The nomination was protested by coach Bao Tri and players Minh Quan, Quoc Khanh and Quang Huy.

The case was again mentioned at a meeting between HCM City Tennis Federation and tennis players on September 27, when Quoc Khanh showed some evidences.

“Chief of the Tennis Division, Doan Quoc Cuong, and coach Truong Quoc Bao are prejudiced against HCM City’s players. They want to reject HCM City’s players from the national team,” Khanh said.

Khanh showed a text message sent by coach Truong Quoc Bao. In this message, coach Bao said that he wanted to be a coach of the national team to fight against coach Bao Tri, players Minh Quan and Huynh Mai Huynh, who protested him at the David Cup.

According to Quoc Khanh, Bao is an athlete of the army team, who does not have any coaching certificate. He was supported by two officials, including Cuong, to become the national team’s coach.

Both Quoc Khanh and Mai Huynh said that the national team needs to have fresh blood but it must firstly be strong.

Do Minh Quan, the champion of men’s single category this year, commented: “The national team is not very strong. I think the Federation (Vietnam Tennis Federation) needs to change the team. Coach Bao is unqualified because he is only an athlete.”

Chairman of HCM City Tennis Federation promised to work with the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the case.

PV